UGANDA BIRDING SAFARIS BIRD WATCHING SAFARIS UGANDA

With thousands of bird species, Uganda stands out as Africa’s best and most thrilling birding safari destination. Being a landlocked country, Uganda falls at the confluence of a number of regional centres of endemism (phytochoria) or biomes, each characterized with distinct African sought-after avifauna species. Its supreme biodiversity lies in its range of habitats which don’t only attract birds but also with the glamour of large mammals in immense wilderness.

 

Uganda boasts of more than 1010 species of birds distributed in its wide range of habitats. Uganda’s rich birdlife exists in the Guinea-Congo Forests with 144 species of birds restricted to it, Lake Victoria Basin with 12 species, Afro tropical Highlands with 87 species, Somali-Masai with 32 species and Sudan and Guinea savanna with 22 species. Due to this diversity of physiognomic characteristics, Uganda ranks among the richest countries in bird species in Africa in relation to its size, with over 1010 species so far recorded.

 

 

UGANDA BIRDING SAFARIS

Our bird watching safaris take you to various places with plenty of birds. These include

 

Forest Habitats

Uganda has a large area adjoining the Congo Basin rain forest on its western boarder. Therefore there are a number of west and central African bird species occurring in Uganda that are not found elsewhere in East Africa. One particular region is the Albertine Rift Endemic area, which has 38 species of birds confined to Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and the Congo. Of these Endemics, Uganda has 25, mostly confined to the forests of Semliki, Mgahinga and Bwindi National Parks in the southwest these include the Green breasted Pitta, Grauer’s Rush Warbler as well as the African green Broadbill. There are more than 700 forest reserves in Uganda and in the large forests of Kibale, Budongo and Mabira, many forest birds reside therein. It is an exciting challenge watching the forest birds as visibility may be poor so most times you have to figure them out mainly from calls.


Wetlands
Uganda has 30,000 square kilometers of wetlands. Over 200 species, ranging from the Shoebill and African Skimmer to the endemic Fox’s Weaver, are found in these wetlands. More to the above are four Papyrus endemics; the Papyrus Gonolek, Papyrus Canary, White-winged Warbler, Papyrus Yellow warbler and a White winged Black Tern roost of 2-3 million birds in the Entebbe area (Lutembe bay) and Mabamba Bay Swamp.


Savannahs

In Uganda savannahs vary from the remote, semi-desert, dry thorn-scrub region of Karamoja (Kidepo) in the northeast, to the richer fertile savannahs of the western rift valley. Queen Elizabeth National Park has a bird list of 604 species, the highest for any protected area in Africa. In the grasslands, birds are plenty and easy to see and while other animals are on the ground, Vultures fly high and look down to the open plains for a dead one to feast on yet the terrestrial birds like the Guinea fowls, Quails and francolins run nervously into nearby grasses and thickets to escape the raptors- Eagles, Hawks and Buzzards circling above.

 

BIRD WATCHING TRIPS

 

1 Day Bird watching Tour to Mabamba Swamp

This trip takes you to Mabamba Swamps, approximately 50 km south of Kampala. This large wetland is the nearest bird watching site on the shores of Lake Victoria. It is the home of the rare Shoebill but other special bird species resident here include the Papyrus gonolek, lesser Jacana, Afep Pigeon, grey rumped swallow, pygmy Kingfisher, slender billed weaver, blue-breasted Kingfisher, Lizard Buzzard, Spur- winged Goose, long toed Lapwing and White winged black Terns- European migrants and others.

 

1 Day Birding watching Tour to Mabira Forest

This is the second biggest Forest Reserve after Budongo. This bird watching trip takes you to Mabira Central Forest Reserve is one of Uganda’s largest surviving natural forests, covering an area of 306 sq km. The Forest is a natural habitat home to 315 species of Birds such as the Nahan’s Francolin, Hawk eagle, African Paradise Flycatcher, the Forest wood Hoopoe, etc. Other unique features to be explored in the Forest Reserve include 218 Butterfly species, 97 Moth Species, 23 small mammal species especially primate species of  monkeys like the Black and White Colobus, Vervet, the bush Duikers, the night noisy- tree Hyrax and the spectacular Griffin Falls!

 

3 Days Bird watching Safari to Murchison Falls NP - Victoria Nile Delta and Top of the falls

This trip takes you to Uganda’s biggest national park that protects a huge part of savannah and forest split into two by the mighty River Nile. Animals in the park include African Elephant, Buffalo, Giraffe and a variety of antelopes. Apart from the savanna grasslands, the Forests - Rabongo and part of Budongo host an impressive variety of savannah birds, water birds and forest birds like White crested Turaco, Afep Pigeon, Puvell’s Illadopsis, Rufous sided Broad-bill, Red tailed ant- thrush, the Osprey, Red shouldered cuckoo shrike, etc

3 Days Bird watching Safari in Budongo forest Reserve

This trip takes you to Budongo Forest Reseve, located about 230 kilometres from Kampala. This is the largest and most beautiful forest in Uganda. It is home to the most sought after birds that include: African Crowned Eagle, Olive Camaroptera, Yellow and Grey Longbills, African Dwarf Kingfisher, Chocolate-backed Kingfisher, Rufous-sided Broadbill etc. In addition to birding, this forest is home to Chimpanzees, Colobus Monkeys and many beautiful butterflies.

3 Days Bird Watching Safari to Kibale Forest Park

This trip takes you to Kibale National Park, one of the most accessible of Uganda's major rainforests. Birders are in for a treat with over 335 species recorded. Kibale Forest has the highest number of records of the Green-breasted Pitta, which is another sought after bird of Uganda. Other birds that may be seebn on this adventure trip include include: African Pitta, Grey-winged Robin, Red-winged Francolin, Joyful Greenbul, White-napped Pigeon, Abyssinian Ground Thrush, Red-chested Flufftail etc.

3 Days B ird watching Safari to Semliki Forest Park

This tour takes you to Kibale Forest Park, part of the eastern extension of the Great Ituri Forest of Congo. This makes it the best place in Uganda to encounter some of the West African species which cannot be easily seen from other places within Uganda. Special species in the park include Congo Serpent Eagle, Black-throated Coucal, Grey-throated Rail, Long-tailed Hawk, Spot-breasted Ibis, Capuchin Babbler, Yellow-throated Nicator etc.

 3 Days Bird watching Safari to Queen Elizabeth National Park

This bird watching safari adventure takes you to Queen Elizabeth National Park, the second largest national park in Uganda. The park ranks the best in Uganda, with over 600 species recorded, and a one day record of 296 species. Special birds in the park include the African Crake, White-winged Warbler, Martial Eagle, African Skimmer, Verreaux's Eagle-Owl, Papyrus Gonolek, Amur Falcon, Ovampo Sparrowhawk, Lowland Akalat, Greater and Lesser Flamingo, Harlequin and Blue Quails, Shoebill, Black Bee-eater, etc.

 

3 Days B ird watching safari in Bwindi Forest National Park

This tour takes you to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, home to the rare mountain gorillas. Special birds in this park include the Black-faced Apalis, Black-throated Apalis, Mountain Masked Apalis, Red-throated Alethe, etc

4 Days Birdwatching safari to Lake Mburo National Park

This trip takes you to Lake Mburo National Park, one of the smallest gazetted national parks of Uganda with plenty of flora and fauna. On this birding trip, expect to see birds such as Red-faced Barbet, African Finfoot, Tabora Cisticola, Green-backed Woodpecker and Coqui Francolin. etc.